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Parliament adjourns over Pathak report

       New Delhi: Both Houses of Parliament adjourned proceedings on Monday amidst an uproar by the country's key lawmakers shortly after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Government tabled its Action Taken Report (ATR) on the 110-page Justice R.S.Pathak Authority report that spent almost seven months investigating India's role in the Iraq oil-for-food scam. Finance Minister P Chidambaram tabled the report in Parliament, which led to its adjournment till 2 p.m. The Justice Pathak report has said that former External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh and his son Jagat Singh misused their powers as politicians to secure non-contractual financial benefits for some of their close friends and relatives. Both father and son have denied any wrongdoing.

      Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party has asked Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to apologise to the nation for facilitating the leak of the Pathak report in the media. Just after the legislators assembled inside the Central Hall this morning, BJP leader Yashwant Sinha raised the issue. He sought the admission of a privilege motion against the Prime Minister, which was supported by the Samajwadi Party, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). "We will not let Parliament function until the Prime Minister apologises for the leak. He should either apologise or quit his post," senior BJP leader V K Malhotra said.

      Members sitting on the Treasury benches raised a hue and cry over the Opposition's privilege motion move. After 15 minutes of uproar, the Chair adjourned both Houses. According to sources, the breach of privilege notice moved by Natwar Singh in Rajya Sabha will be considered later in the day. Natwar Singh has alleged that the report was disclosed intentionally in the media. He himself has given a breach of privilege notice against Dr. Singh in Rajya Sabha. Both houses are expected to face more turmoil during the day, if they reassemble. The Government has said that the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and the Customs will probe the media leak. The report, indicting former Union Minister and his son Jagat Singh in the Iraqi oil-for-food scam, was submitted to the Prime Minister on August 3. It was then forwarded to the Finance Minister P Chidambaram with instructions to prepare the ATR.

Amar Singh demands probe into Reliance's role

      New Delhi: Charging the Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) with being the biggest beneficiary in the Iraqi oil-for-food scam, Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Amar Singh on Monday said the group must be probed for its alleged role in the scam. Singh told reporters outside Parliament that Mukesh Ambani must not be allowed to go scot-free, and added that his Samajwadi Party supported Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat's demand for an immediate inquiry. On Saturday, RIL dismissed allegations of any wrong doing in its 'transactions" in the oil-for-food programme and stated that the Government was informed at every stage of their trade and other transactions with foreign countries. The RIL statement came after Karat demanded a separate probe into its transactions with Iraq under the programme, since the company's name featured as a non-contractual beneficiary in the Volcker report alongside the Congress Party and former External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh.

    The Government had earlier appointed former Supreme Court Chief Justice R S Pathak to conduct a probe into the Volcker Report, but limited his terms of reference to the roles played by Natwar Singh and the Congress party. The controversy over the oil-for-food payoff erupted in October last year, when former UN diplomat Paul Volcker wrote in his report that politicians in several countries, including Natwar Singh, were given oil vouchers that could be sold for a commission to help the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in his attempts to get international sanctions lifted. The Congress-led government has been battling furious protests by the Opposition since the Volcker Report was made public. The oil-for-food program began in 1996 and ended in 2003. It was aimed at easing the sanctions impact on ordinary Iraqis. Under the scheme, Iraq was allowed to sell oil to buy food, medicine and many other goods. The UN report said that some 2,200 companies made illicit payments totalling 1.8 billion dollars to Saddam's government under the programme.

Natwar ready to face disciplinary action

      New Delhi: Maintaining his innocence in the Iraqi oil-for-food scam, former External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh today said that he is ready for any action taken against him by the Congress for bringing a privilege motion against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. "We will see what happens," Natwar said when it was pointed out that the Congress is contemplating action against him. He said that though he had not seen the Pathak Committee report, he had heard that his name had been cleared. "I have not seen it (the report) but all I've seen is that Mr. Pathak has apparently said neither I nor my son (Jagat Singh) took any money," Natwar said. Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal said that a decision on Natwar would be taken at an appropriate time. "The Congress party as and when it happens will decide. You have heard Mr. Dasmunshi saying that if it (privilege motion) is filed, it would be an act of indiscipline," Sibal told reporters. Natwar Singh placed the privilege motion notice in the Rajya Sabha against the Prime Minister yesterday for the leak of the report.

     Meanwhile, the R S Pathak Inquiry Authority report, which was tabled in Parliament today, said that Natwar Singh, a non- contractual beneficiary in UN programme, was a beneficiary as role played by him in influencing and facilitating procurement of oil contracts from Iraq fructified. However, the report said that there was no material evidence to show that Natwar Singh derived any financial or other personal benefits from the contracts. The report held a letter written by Natwar Singh on January 30, 2001 to Iraqi Oil Minister Amer Mohammed Rasheed, asking him to give full assistance and cooperation to Andaleeb Sehgal, as one of the most crucial pieces of evidence. "It demonstrates that Natwar Singh utilised his presence in Iraq not merely for the purpose of representing the Congress party in a goodwill mission but also took the opportunity of lending his assistance in the procurement of the oil allocation to Andaleeb Sehgal who accompanied him on the visit to the Oil Minister," it said. The report also said that there was no evidence to link Congress party to the transactions, except the fact that Natwar Singh and his son, Jagat Singh, belonged to that party.

     According to the report, Aditya Khanna, Andaleeb Sehgal, Sehgal Consultants and Hamdaan Exports were Indian entities or individuals who received any money or other consideration in the programme. Sehgal had accompanied Singh for the meeting with the Iraqi minister on January 22, 2001. He and his business partner Aditya Khanna earned a commission of more than 1,93,000 dollars in two oil contracts, the R S Pathak Inquiry Authority report said. Earlier, the Action taken Report (ATR) tabled in the Parliament along with the Pathak report, said the government has examined the report and accepted the conclusions contained in the report. It has forwarded the report to the Enforcement Directorate, Central Board of Direct Taxes and Central Board of Excise and Customs for such further action. All documents available with UN's Volcker Committee on Oil-for- food programme were 'authentic and reliable,' it said. It also observed that transactions in oil covered by two contracts, bearing numbers M/09/54 and M/10/57 were "genuine". Former U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker had named Natwar Singh, his son and the Congress party after a yearlong investigation as non-contractual beneficiaries of the 64 billion dollars programme. The Congress had written to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, asking for sources of evidence relating to it but were unable to get definitive inputs as Volcker said his commission was not able to delve into every bribe or kickback or company listed.

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